Bird Album
Sandhill Crane
Antigone canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758)
≈76 cmLength165–230 cmWingspan4.3 kgWeight
The adult is a large gray crane with a red forehead, white cheeks and long legs trailing behind in flight.
Busiest months: May · Most records: United States, Canada, Japan
How to identify
Field marks
- Adult gray overall
- Forehead red, cheeks white
- Bill black, long and pointed
- Neck held straight in flight, with long black legs trailing behind
Male, female and young
Sexes similar; juvenile lacks the red forehead and has reddish-brown upperparts and gray underparts.
Voice
Loud trumpeting, like a throaty rolled “r”, audible from far away.
Where and when it's recorded
Sandhill Crane has been recorded at 636 of the 8,171 birding hotspots we track, in 14 countries and regions.
Records by month Northern Hemisphere
Where it's recorded most
- Reifel Bird SanctuaryCanada16,217 records
- The Celery FieldsUnited States10,544 records
- Magee Marsh – BoardwalkUnited States8,723 records
More places
- Sweetwater Wetlands ParkUnited States8,229 records
- Nine Springs Natural AreaUnited States7,926 records
- Whitewater Draw Wildlife AreaUnited States6,944 records
- Orlando WetlandsUnited States6,827 records
- Bosque del Apache NWRUnited States6,301 records
- Rio Grande Nature Center SPUnited States6,010 records
- Kensington MetroparkUnited States5,648 records
Countries and regions with the most records
eBird records via GBIF up to 2024-12-31. A record means someone listed it; more records partly mean more birders, not more birds.
Questions
How big is the Sandhill Crane?
The Sandhill Crane is about ≈76 cm long, with a wingspan of 165–230 cm and weighs around 4.3 kg.
Where does the Sandhill Crane live?
Its breeding range: North America: widespread. It is most often recorded in United States, Canada and Japan.
When is the best time to see the Sandhill Crane?
At the hotspots we track, it is recorded most in May (Northern Hemisphere).
What does the Sandhill Crane eat?
Main food: Omnivore.
What family is the Sandhill Crane in?
It belongs to the family Cranes (Gruidae), order Gruiformes.
At a glance
- Length
- ≈76 cm
- Wingspan
- 165–230 cm
- Weight
- 4.3 kg
- Habitat
- Wetland
- Diet
- Omnivore
- Lifestyle
- Active on the ground
- Migration
- Migratory
More measurements
- Wing
- 478 mm
- Tail
- 175 mm
- Bill
- 123 mm
- Tarsus
- 216 mm
Averages from the AVONET dataset; length from field guides where available.
Range
North America: widespread
Breeding range, IOC World Bird List 15.2
Classification
- Order
- Gruiformes
- Family
- Cranes Gruidae
- Genus
- Antigone
Other birds in the genus Antigone
White-naped CraneAntigone vipio
Sarus CraneAntigone antigone
BrolgaAntigone rubicunda
Grey Crowned CraneBalearica regulorum
Black Crowned CraneBalearica pavonina
Siberian CraneLeucogeranus leucogeranus
Wattled CraneGrus carunculata
Blue CraneGrus paradisea
Demoiselle CraneGrus virgo
Red-crowned CraneGrus japonensis
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Free to use with credit: “Illustration: Bird Album (birdalbum.com)”. Drawn by AI from a reference photo by Blake Cahill. ↗
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